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This Week in Wrestling 2015 week 29

In ‘This Week in Wrestling’ the team give their predictions for Battleground, Jamie shares what Raw taught him this week, Craig talks about the never ending programme between Randy Orton and Sheamus while Brian shares with us the best wrestling related images he’s come across this week. All that and much much more in the latest edition of This Week in Wrestling…

Michael Hayes… is that you?

“What Wrestling Taught Us This Week…”Jamie

Montreal is in America…

Chernobyl is in Bulgaria

Never write the term “an inanimate” into a wrestling promo

In the WWE Universe, “revolutions” can be instigated by those in power

Winning ‘King of The Ring’ is well worth it

Nine Divas, three groups: babyfaces, heels and miscellaneous

Brock Lesnar did more damage to J&J’s car than I remember…

Shouldn’t the NXT Women’s Champion have a belt?

Is Michael Hayes a contestant in Tough Enough?

This photo is from a 2013 episode of Raw but there are no shortages of pictures of these two battling it out

Randy Orton vs Sheamus: The Fued that Never EndsCraig

Ah, another Sheamus and Randy Orton feud. That’s exactly what we need. While we’re at it can we have another Mark Henry and Big Show programme, please?

It’s not that I dislike either Sheamus or Orton or think their matches are poor – I don’t care much for either and can’t think of many of their matches that really stand out. It’s just that since 2009, and including Battle Royals where both have appeared in and house shows, they have been in 103 matches together.

That, my friends, is insane.

And including multi-man matches they have appeared in the ring together 13 times on PPV in that time period.

It’s even more baffling when you consider that both superstars were off our screens for a while and both came back freshened up and are now lumped back together in a feud that will show how stale they are.

What’s the point in that?

I know that with 12 PPVs a year, more than 6 hours of TV a week to fill and a busy house show schedule to fill that there will be repeat match-ups. I get that. I also get that on the house show circuit guys will face each other night after night.

The worst part of all of this? I struggle to think of a memorable match between the pair despite, in the last six years, having over a 100 to choose from with many of those being on TV.

Go figure.

WWE Battleground 2015Craig, Jamie & Brian

Tonight WWE hosts its annual Battleground pay-per-view. In a break from tradition, that will probably continue, we are folding the PPV prediction threads into ‘This Week in Wrestling’ in order to run more Sunday Sermons as those tend to be more popular.

Card:

Pre-show Match for King Barrett’s King of the Ring crown
King Barrett vs. R-Truth

Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt

Tag Team Championship Match
The Prime Time Players (c) vs. The New Day

Craig: I can say for starters am not intending to stay up to 4am or book a day off work for this one.

Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt is a feud that will benefit neither guy and I’m starting to really not care about either of them. Bray loses too often and it won’t be long before the strap the rocket back on Reigns – a Rumble 2016 win anyone?

I’ve detailed Orton vs. Sheamus below but can sorta some this match up in a one word question: “again?”

Interested in the three title matches though so will watch those in the morning. The tag team title match, though, should be decent. Glad the Prime Time Players are back together and I’m buying into The New Day shtick as well. All in all, this should be fin. Kevin Owens and Cena will be a stellar affair as they all have been to date and there’s a buzz about the US title picture at the moment. As for the main event? I can’t wait to see out Rollins weasels his way to retaining the title here. Strong finish but a middle of the road undercard so far. Am sure there’ll be a few things added but still. It’s a ‘not staying up to watch this’ from me.

Jamie: This card looks a bit like Raw of late; some really good stuff mixed with some really uninspiring stuff. As I write this there has been no announcement for a Divas – sorry, women’s – match. Given the events of Raw, a women’s match would have been a massive sell for me. Ditto Rusev and Cesaro. Oh well…

I’m very interested to see the Cena/Owens rubber match, for which I’m struggling to pick a winner. I’m equally keen to see the Rollins/Lesnar bout, although I’m pretty sure Rollins will escape as champion… I don’t know how he’ll do it though. After those matches I’ll be looking for the Tag Title match, but that’s about it. Reigns vs. Wyatt hasn’t grabbed me and I’ve seen enough Sheamus/Orton and Truth/Barrett matches to last me a lifetime. What annoys me is that these matches are never any good either.

Like Craig, I’ll be catching the matches I care about on Monday.

Craig: There’s a rumour on Reddit – from the poster who predicted Samoa Joe’s signing and appearance at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable, Kevin Owens’ Raw debut, Mark Henry replacing Rusev in Elimination Chamber and Ryback winning the Intercontinental Title – that The Undertaker might return during the main event to set up an angle for SummerSlam. Guess it would boost Network subscribers as well as giving him a final run rather than just bowing out with a Wrestlemania match.

Brian: I’ll be watching it live on the network…but aside from Rollins vs Lesnar and Cena vs Owens…not much to write home about. I think New Day will regain the tag team titles and Kevin Owens will win the United States title. Seth Rollins will indeed escape as WWE champion again somehow, someway…I think. I am kinda relieved there is no Ryback match. I never cared for him and to be honest…don’t get his resurgence in popularity….but that’s just me. Cesaro would make a great IC champion.

Craig: I agree, I’d much rather see Cesaro with that belt. Maybe help make it the “workers belt” it once was.

Picture GalleryBrian

Somebody who works at the Coca Cola company has got to be a big wrestling fan! You could share a Diet Coke with the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels or if you are in Mexico, you can buy a Full Throttle energy drink (Owned by Coca Cola) that was named after famed luchador Blue Demon…

Considering what happened to both Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble the past couple of weeks involving Brock Lesnar…It’s no surprise J and J Security found a new line of work! 😉

Speaking of Brock Lesnar…even in college at the University of Minnesota he was a pretty big thing.

With the new season of Tough Enough in full swing…let’s look at how the very first TE winner Maven Huffman is doing with his wrestling career….

For all you classic TV fans, in case you needed to know…former WWF Intercontinental champion Don Muraco had an uncredited role on the Tom Selleck TV series Magnum PI in 1982. He played the role of an unnamed mill worker who wanted to fight the title character Thomas Magnum played by Selleck…..Now you know!

Video GalleryBrian

Ah yes…the early days of TNA wrestling…where everything was live and on pay per view…even the wardrobe malfunctions.

Years before she married Hulk Hogan…years before she became a reality TV star….wrote a tell all book about her failed marriage to the Hulkster and bedded her 19 year old daughter’s high school classmate…Linda Claridge aka the future and former Mrs. Hulk Hogan was a game show contestant in 1978.